Composite railway cross-tie.



PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906.

J. H. G. WOLF. BOMPOSITE RAILWAY GROSS TIE.

APPLICATION I'ILBD FEB. 10. 1904.

WITNESSES,

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UNITED STATES P ATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS H. G. WOLF, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COMPOSITE RAILWAY CROSS-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

Application filed February 10, 1904. Serial No. 193,024.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, J ULIUS HERMAN GEORGE WOLF, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at San Francisco, State of California, have invented anew, useful, and Improved Composite Railway Cross-Tie for either Streetor Steam Railway Purposes, of which the fol lowing is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in the making of compositerailway crossties.

The object sought is to present a composite cross-tie which in servingits functions as a tie shall possess every advantage of the wooden tienow in use and add thereto those qualities or requisites which woodenties lack.

The stren th of a wooden tie lies in the strength of lts fibers, whichare subject to decay. The strength of the composite tie rests inpractically indestructible materials.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented intheaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all theviews.

Figure l is a top lan view of the tie, the left-hand portion of it beingshown complete with the rail upon it and showing on the right side ofthe medial line X Y the same view without the rail. A portion. of theopen metallic reinforcement is omitted to more clearly show detailsunder the rail-seat. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of thetie, taken through one of the spike-bolts, showing the method of holdingthe rail to the tie and showing the open metallic reinforcement,portions of Winch are omitted to enhance the clearness of the drawings.Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation through one of the same bolts,showing the method of rail attachment and showing the open metallicreinforcement placed Within and passing through the encircling stra s towhich the spike-bolts are attached. ig. 4 is a drawing of one type ofopen metallic reinforcement known in the trade as expanded metal, andFig. 5 is another type of the same reinforcement and known as wirecloth.

In carryin out this invention there is employed a bod y of concrete orartificial stone A, 1n which is embedded an open metallic reinforcementB. This "open metallic reinforcement may be either expanded metal, wirelath, heavy wire-cloth, or any metallic substance of similar characterwhich serves the purposes of these materials in reinforcing concrete.This 0 on metallic reinforcement is placed trough-s raped, envelo ingthe concrete on the bottom and the si es, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.The sheet of metal is to be in one continuous piece with the sides orwebs formed by bendin the edges upward, as indicated by B in Fig. 3. Inthis manner it will protect the concrete from disruption when impactstrains are brought upon it, the web or side members taking the crossbending strains, while the bottom portion will assist in preserving theintegrity of the entire mass. The concrete may be cut away on thebottom, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to prevent centcnbinding of the tieand also to re duce its weight.

It will be observed that the metallic reinforcement is entirelyindependent of the attaching device for holding the rails to the tie. Itconsists simply of two enveloping straps C C under each rail, completelysurrounding the concrete of the tie and sitting flush with the faces ofthe tie on sides, top, and bottom. Within these straps will pass thetroughshaped metallic reinforcement. Hence the strain upon the mediumfor holding the rails upon the tie is carried by the body of the tie andnot by any particular portion of the mass which might crack ordisintegrate it.

The envelopin straps are pierced b slotted holes, one ho e to eachstrap, on t 1e top surface, as shown in the plan view, Fig. 1. Througheach hole is a short bolt D, termed a spike-bolt, made with a head inthe shape of spike, as is now used to hold down rails with the ordinarywooden tie. The nut E (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) engages the threads ofthe bolts and screws up ti htly against the under side of the strap. Tis fact permits any desired amount of strain to be brought upon the boltand insures the flange of the rail being held fast at all times. Inorder that an offset wrench may be used to screw up the nut, theconcrete is cut away in a dishsha ed manner, as indicated by G and shownin t e three views. In Fig. 3 the bottom of this recess is shown topitch outward, so as to insure drainage and not to form a closed pocket.

While the above constitutes what is considered the referred form of thisinvention, slight modi 'cations, variations, and alterations ofstructural details may be resorted to without violating the principlesof the design for this tie, and the right is reserved to IlO make slightchanges within the scope of the invention as practice may show to bedesired. The purposes and intent of the invention are set lorth in thefollowing claims.

The phrase "trough-shaped in the claims is to be understood as includingany troughshaped metallic reinforcement either open at the top or closedat the top or inverted.

My Invention is not limited to the mechanism here shown for securing therails to the tie, as other modes of accomplishing this result might beused as, for instance, by substituting two blocks of wood of very nearlythe same vertical depth as the thickness of the tie for the twoenveloping straps at each end of the tie, so that the ordinary spike nowin use with timber tics could be used for attaching the rails instead ofusing the spikebolt.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure b Letters Patent, is

' 1. A railway cross-tie comprising a body of concrete or artificialstone, with vertical sheets of open metallic reinforcement em- .3. Arailway cross-tie comprising a body of concrete or artificial stone withopen metallic reinforcement embedded longitudinally therein, a metallicband around said body adj acent to each rail, and means for securing therail to the band inde endently of said reinforcement, substantially asdescribed.

4. A railway cross-tie comprising a body of concrete or artificial stonewith a troughshaped sheet of laterally-expanded metallic reinforcementlongitudinally embedd ed. there in, substantially as described.

5. A railway cross-tie comprising a body of concrete or artificial stonewith a troughshaped sheet of open metallic reinforcement longitudinallyembedded therein, the sides of the trou h being of greater verticaldimensions under the rails than the middle portion, substantially asdescribed.

6. A railway cross-tie comprisin a body of concrete or artificial stonewith faterallyexpanded metallic reinforcement embedded longitudinall Ytherein having two vertical members and a horizontal member,substantially as described.

7. A railway cross-tic comprisin a body of concrete or artificial stonewith faterallyexpanded metallic reinforcement embedded longitudinallytherein having a vertical member and a horizontal member in a singlesheet, substantially as described.

8. A railway cross-tie, comprising a body of concrete, or artificialstone, with a sheet of open metallic reinforcement embedded therein,said sheet of reinforcement being troughsha I ed, havin a horizontalbottom portion and with raiser sides, the tie being of reater verticaldimensions under the rails Man in the middle portion, as set forth.

9. A railway cross-tie, comprising a body of concrete, or artificialstone, a sheet of open metallic reinforcement embedded therein, and twoenveloping straps under each rail for the purpose, with the assistanceof spikebolts, of attaching the rails to the tie, said enveloping strapsbeing of metal and going completely around the tie, on its four sides,as set forth.

10. A railway cross-tie comprising a body of concrete, or artificialstone, a sheet of open metallic reinforcement embedded therein,envelopin straps of metal under each rail, and spike-bolts passing throuh slotted holes of the enveloping straps in or er to bolt, with theassistance of nuts, the rail to the tie, as set forth.

11. A railway cross-tie comprising a body of concrete, or artificialstone, a sheet of open metallic reinforcement embedded therein,enveloping straps of metal under each rail, spike-bolts to pierce saidstraps, and a recess in the concrete under each nut in order that anoffset wrench may, be inserted under the strap to engage the nut for thepurpose of screw'ng it up.

12. A metal tension member for combined metal and concrete railroad-tieconstruction, comprising a longitudinal portion and a portion of thesame expanded laterally.

13. In a combined concrete and metal tie, the combination of a concretebody, a metal member extending lon itudinally of the same and havingextending latticed projections in the form of expanded metal.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my band in the, presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

J. H. G. WOLF. Witnesses FRANCIS M. WRIGHT. BESSIE GORFINKEL.

